Burmese Recipes

Traditionally, Burmese food is eaten at a low, round table, and diners sit on the floor. Finger bowls and tea towels to wash hands are generally provided at the beginning of the meal, as the food is eaten using fingers. Unlike western meals, a Burmese meal is not divided into starters and main courses, but all the dishes are put on the table so that diners can share and try everything that is served. This is then followed by seasonal fruits or dessert. A typical Burmese meal includes rice, a curry dish (Sepyan), salad (A-Thoke) and soup (HinYawe). These recipes are therefore divided into a choice of the above specialties. Or you can keep it simple and just cook Moh Hin Gha, one of Burmas most popular dishes. Moh Hin Gha - Rice Vermicelli with Fish Soup Serves 6- 8 Method: If using fresh fish, wash and scale the fillets and simmer for 5 minutes in just enough water to cover. Reserve the stock. Put onions, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, turmeric and chilli powder in container of electric blender and blend to a puree. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the blended ingredients and chillies, add in pureed mixture. When it is golden brown and beginning to stick to the pan, add the fish stock or water (about 1.5 litres), and prepared banana heart or shallots. Bring to the boil, turn heat low and simmer until banana heart slices or shallots are tender. Add fish sauce to mixture. Mix the chickpea flour smoothly with a little cold water and add to pan. Keep stirring as it comes to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, and add the fish. Stir as it comes to simmering point. Season to taste, add salt if necessary. Cook noodles in boiling salted water until tender, drain well and serve in a large bowl. The noodles are served first and soup ladled over the top. Moh Hin Gha is traditionally served with a variety of garnishes, including: Chopped coriander leaves or parsley Lemon or lime Chilli flakes Hard boiled eggs, quartered

Ingredients 500g (1lb) fillets of fish. Catfish is traditionally used, but mackerel or sardines are also used (tinned is fine) 4 medium onions, roughly chopped 6 cloves garlic, peeled 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger 1 teaspoon ground turmeric teaspoon chilli powder 4 tablespoons peanut oil 2 chillies, seeded and chopped (optional) 2-3 lemongrass stalks, chopped Banana heart or 8 small shallots, peeled and left whole 1 tablespoon fish sauce 3 tablespoons chick pea flour or rice flour Salt to taste 500g (1lb) rice vermicelli or egg noodles

Curries
Mixed Vegetable Curry Thi Sone Hin Serves 4 This curry is a very popular dish in Burma and is quick and simple to prepare, around 15-30 minutes cooking time. Method: Using a big wok or pot, heat the oil and add the onion and garlic over medium heat until the aromas are released (usually around 5 minutes). Add and saut the potatoes over medium heat for approximately 1 minute. Add and saut the pumpkin, aubergine, carrot, curry powder, turmeric powder and sweet paprika over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the fish sauce, tamarind paste and water to cover the vegetables (approx 1.5 litres), let it boil over medium heat until the potatoes are almost soft (usually around 20 minutes). Finally add the tomatoes and the long beans, cover the wok/pot and let it cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. Add salt to taste. Serve with steamed rice. Fried Aubergines Khayanthi Nhut This is a very particular dish as it combines the sweet taste of aubergines with the spiciness of chilli. Method: Wash and slice the aubergine into four quarters, lengthwise. Using a wok, heat the oil and stir-fry, over medium heat, the garlic and the onion. Add and fry the tomatoes until they get mushy, usually around 5 minutes. Add and saut the aubergines, the halved chillies, turmeric powder and sweet paprika. Cook for 10 or more minutes until the aubergines become soft and turn them occasionally to get equal heat. Remember not to turn them too often. Additional Tip: Dried shrimp can be added with the garlic and onion. 2

Ingredients 4 tablespoons oil 1 large onion, chopped 3 chopped cloves garlic 3 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks 1 large aubergine, cut into chunks 2 small carrots, cut into chunks 450/680g pumpkin,cut into chunks 2 tablespoons curry powder teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 1 teaspoon tamarind paste 4 teaspoons fish sauce Handful of green beans, cut in half

Ingredients 2-3 medium size aubergines 2 or more fresh halved chillies (optional) 1 onion finely sliced 2 chopped cloves garlic 2 tablespoons oil teaspoon turmeric powder teaspoon sweet paprika

Prawn Curry Prawn Sepyan Serves 4 Method: Prepare the prawns: wash, chop off whiskers and remove the head and the black vein. Marinate the prawns in the fish sauce and salt. In a blender combine the garlic, ginger, onion and chillies, blending until smooth. Heat the oil and add the above mixture, cook over medium heat until it becomes fragrant Ingredients and the onion is transparent (usually around 1kg (2lbs) prawns 8-10 minutes). Add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat 2 medium tomatoes, cut into small pieces 2 or 3 chillies for around 5 minutes. 1 large onion, chopped finely Add the turmeric powder and the sweet 5 cloves garlic paprika, stirring quickly, and add cup of water. 1 small piece fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon of Cook for 1 minute and mix, if the sauce is ginger powder (optional) already too thick add another cup of water 1 teaspoon fish sauce and repeat the procedure. teaspoon sweet paprika Add the prawns, cover and cook over high teaspoon turmeric powder heat until they become pink (around 3 teaspoon salt minutes). Stir, reduce the heat to low and cook for other 5 tablespoons oil Coriander 5 minutes until the sauce becomes thicker, leaving only the tomato gravy behind. Add fresh coriander and serve with steamed or coconut rice. Pork Curry With Tamarind Watha Majeedi Sepyan Serves 4 Pork curry with tamarind is probably the most common meat curry in Burma. Pork is the most popular meat in country. Method: The first step is to marinate the meat: First, soak the tamarind in cup of warm water for around 30 minutes. Remove tamarind pulp squeezing as much water out of it as you can. Discard tamarind pulp. This will be the tamarind water. Using a blender, blend the fish sauce, ginger, garlic, onion and chillies. Mix the above puree with the tamarind water, sweet paprika, turmeric powder and a little salt. Add the chopped meat and let it stand for around 15 minutes. This will marinate the meat. 3

Ingredients 450g of pork belly or pork loin/shoulder chopped into 3/4-inch cubes. 1 tablespoon of dried tamarind 2 medium sized onions, chopped 2 sticks lemongrass 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2-3 fresh chopped chillies 4 teaspoons fish sauce teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 1 small piece grated fresh ginger

In a heavy sauce pan add the oil, the meat and the lemongrass and let it cook on medium heat until it gets brown on all sides (usually around 9 minutes). Add 2 cups of water, cover and lower the heat and let it simmer for another 30 minutes or more (depending on the tenderness of the meat). If needed add water but remember that the sauce should be quite thick. When the meat has reached the desired tenderness, lower the heat, add 2 tablespoons (or more depending on the sour taste desired) of tamarind water and stir.

Additional Tips: For this recipe, the use of 3-layered pork would be best. The pieces of meat should be cut in such a way that each piece retains all three layers. The fatty part of the pork gives a richer taste and a more creamy consistency to the dish. If a more sour taste is desired, you can also add sour bamboo shoots. The dish is ideally served with steamed rice.

Rice
Steamed Rice Method: Soak 2 cups of jasmine rice or any other long-grain in a pot with enough water to cover it, for approximately 15 minutes. Wash and drain the rice. Add 7-8 cups of water (depending on the amount of rice, as it has to cover it), and let it boil for approx. 15 minutes. Drain the rice. Return the rice to the pot and cover it with a lid. Simmer it again on very low heat for 3-4 more minutes until it reaches the perfect consistency. Coconut Rice Serves 4 In a large pot with a tightfitting lid, heat the oil Ingredients over medium heat. 2 tablespoons oil Add the onion and stir and cook until soft and chopped onion translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. 200g jasmine rice or any other long-grain Add the rice and stir to coat evenly with oil. rice, washed Stir the coconut milk and pour it into the pot, can coconut milk followed by the water, salt, and sugar. 200ml water, or as necessary Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir and reduce the 1 teaspoon salt heat to low. 1 teaspoon sugar Cover and cook for approx 35 minutes or until Fried shallots for garnish the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and let the rice rest on the stove, covered, for 5-10 minutes. When ready to serve, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork or chopsticks. Garnish with fried shallots.

Soups
Spicy Lentil Soup Paenilay Hin In Burmese cuisine many different lentils are used as a replacement to fish or meat. Traditionally people living in the countryside tend to boil them on wood fuel for a long time, and then add some green Burmese herbs to add flavour. Method: Wash and boil the lentils (with little water) until they are soft. Add the vegetable cube and let it boil over low heat. Soak the tamarind until it is well dissolved. In an oily pan stir fry the onion, once it becomes brown add the chillies until crunchy and drain. Add a bit more of the remaining oil and the curry powder, frying it over low heat. Pour the fried chillies and onions to the lentils soup and add 1 spoon of tamarind. Let it boil for another 5 more minutes.

Ingredients 5 tablespoons dried split-pea lentils 1 large onion, finely sliced 1 cube vegetable stock 1 tablespoon tamarind paste or 1 large chopped tomato 6 large dried chillies (18 if small) 1 tablespoons curry powder 3 tablespoons oil

Additional Tip: The dish should be served with chillies floating in each bowl. Vermicelli Soup Kyasan Chat Serves 4 This soup is a very common dish in Burma, as it is very tasty and also very cheap. Method: In warm water soak the cloud ear fungus for 15 minutes. Wash the soaked fungus with little salt, drain them and cut them in small slices. Fry the tofu or beancurd Pound the garlic and fry it in oil for minutes approximately. Add 1 pints of water and when it boils add the shallots, vermicelli, fungus, tofu, fish sauce and salt. Let it simmer for 7 minutes. In a pan, fry the peppercorns for 2 minutes and add them to the soup. Let the soup boil for 3 more minutes and if necessary add more fish sauce. Serve topped with chopped coriander.

Ingredients 10 pieces of Chinese cloud ear fungus, or mushrooms Tofu or beancurd 50 grams of vermicelli (1 pack) soaked in water for hour 4 cloves of garlic 8 small shallots, peeled and whole 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 small tablespoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon oil teaspoon salt Coriander

Additional Tips: Hard-boiled quails eggs can also be added. If vegetarian, replace the fish sauce with additional salt. 5

Salad
Grilled Aubergine Salad Khayanthi Meephug Thoke Method: Heat the oven to 250 Ingredients Once the oven has reached the temperature, add the 1 large or 2 small aubergines aubergines and turn them until all their skin becomes 1 tablespoon peanuts, roasted and wrinkled and scorched. Remove the aubergine from the oven and peel the skin. pounded 1 tablespoon fried onion Chop up the aubergine by holding the stem on a plate (discard the stem and some of the aromatic juice 1 small teaspoon fried garlic produced). Finally add the fried onions, or finely chopped raw onion, fried garlic, pounded peanuts and salt and mix gently.

Dessert
Semolina Cake - Sanwinmakin Serves 10-12 This is a delicious dessert, thanks to the amazing taste created when the dry-fried semolina seeds mixed with coconut and sugar. A very delicate and original taste. Method: Pour the semolina on to a baking sheet or frying pan Ingredients and roast over moderate heat or under the grill for 5-10 350g semolina minutes. Stir frequently until the semolina has turned golden brown. Remove from the heat and pour into a large 350g sugar 1 can coconut milk (400ml) saucepan. 2 tablespoons poppy seeds Mix in the remaining ingredients, except the poppy seeds. 2 large eggs (beaten) Use a whisk to remove any lumps. Over a moderate heat bring the mixture to the boil, stirring continuously. Soon you 600ml water will notice the mixture beginning to thicken and at the first 125ml oil (peanut oil if possible) sign of bubbles appearing, turn down the heat to the lowest 1 teaspoon salt setting. You need to stir continuously throughout the cooking process. As the mixture becomes thicker, it can be hard work. Continue to simmer very gently for 8-10 minutes until the mixture starts to clump together and comes away from the sides of the pan easily. Pour the mixture into a cake tin or an oven-proof dish, approximately 22cm in diameter, which has been greased with oil. Smooth over the surface with the back of a spoon so it is level. Sprinkle the poppy seeds and place under a hot grill for 8-10 minutes until the top is golden and some cracks appear on the surface. Serve at room temperature. Additional Tip: If you prefer a sweeter taste, you can add raisins.

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